Seattle mayor pens op-ed saying her city ‘isn’t afraid’ of immigrants amid Trump sanctuary city plan

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) wrote that her city is “not afraid of immigrants” in response to President Trump’s proposal to send detained immigrants to “sanctuary cities.”

“Here’s a message to President Trump: Seattle is not afraid of immigrants and refugees. In fact, we have always welcomed people who have faced tremendous hardships around the world. Immigrants and refugees are part of Seattle’s heritage, and they will continue to make us the city of the future,” she wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Friday.

{mosads}“What does scare us? A president and federal government that would seek to weaponize a law enforcement agency to punish perceived political enemies. A would-be despot who thinks the rule of law does not apply to him,” she wrote.

“He is demonizing immigrants and refugees to incite fear and to distract the American public from his own failures,” Durkan said.

Trump announced Friday that he is considering sending the migrants to sanctuary cities, or cities that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities through information sharing or detaining immigrants, as a way to retaliate against Democrats.

“The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!” Trump tweeted.

….The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019

Top Democratic lawmakers were swift in their condemnation of the proposal.

“I don’t know anything about it, but again, it’s just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a county, as a people, to address who we are: a nation of immigrants,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday. 

Durkan wrote that contrary to Trump’s rhetoric, immigrants improve Seattle.

“In Seattle, we know that our immigrant and refugee communities make our city a stronger, more vibrant place. Our immigrant neighbors make up more than 18 percent of our population, and 21 percent of our population speaks a language other than English at home. They create businesses and jobs. They create art and culture. They help teach our kids, serve in law enforcement and the military, and lead our places of faith,” she wrote.

“Contrary to what this president thinks, in Seattle, we have strong American values of inclusiveness and opportunity. Instead of threatening immigrant families and the cities that welcome them, this president should spend a little bit more time trying to learn from us,” she wrote.